Today I was sitting in Mass and my mind kept drifting to the massacre at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, WI last week. I felt secure in the chapel at the Mother House and was listening to the homily which talked about Jesus' presence in the Mass. That is when I drifted off into deep sadness about what happened last week. It is so difficult to understand how we can hate one another so easily, whether it be for our faith, ethnicity, sexuality, politics, or any other reason that exists. How is it that we are able to persecute one another? The prejudice I carry about somebody may not manifest in a hate crime. It might just appear as I make sweeping generalizations about persons based on my own limited data. It is easy to be suspicious of other people and believe they are up to no good, or trying to scam the system and everyone they meet. Unfortunately, I also am aware that people will rise to the expectations that we put forth. When I look upon a person with love he or she will likely respond in kind. I believe we are all seeking goodness and that at times people forget their responsibility. My guess is that the vast majority of us are on that path of forgetting most of the time and sometimes get lost in our judgments and confusion. I have nothing but my own brokenness to bring to this conversation and in that my heart and prayers extend to the Sikh community as they heal. I am attaching Break Your Heart (Natalie Merchant & N'Dea Davenport) as a prayer offering in an effort to unite my hope and prayers to healing and solidarity.
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